DETROIT -- Fame came abruptly for Detroit painter Jonathan Harris, whose viral "Critical Race Theory" painting went around the world in a matter of days in late 2021.
Social justice Facebook page The Other 98% shared the painting with its 6.5 million followers on Nov. 21 and, almost instantly, it was popping up on various social media platforms. The original Other 98% post racked up about 24,000 reactions, 2,000 comments and 11,000 shares.
The self-taught artist had only been painting for about a year.
In December, the Free Press told Harris' story, and his phone hasn't stopped ringing since.
"It's been insane ... but in a good way," he said by phone last week. "People have been emailing me from all over the world, so many emails, every day - and messages on social media, too. I try to respond to each one individually, but it's becoming so hard to do that, I just know I'm not going to be able to get to everyone."
Galleries, museums, movie stars and politicians have contacted Harris, some with interest in his work, some simply to say that the "Critical Race Theory" piece resonated with them. Emails have come from people on multiple continents, in assorted non-English languages he's had to translate before he could read them.
The original piece was purchased by a private owner from the Irwin House Gallery in Detroit's LaSalle Gardens neighborhood, where it was on display as part of an exhibition by artist-in-residence Harris. A limited number of prints were made available during the holidays and quickly sold out. A second round of prints were then made available, and sold out again. Harris and the story of the painting have been covered by TV news, talk shows and Black Enterprise magazine.
Irwin House gallery director Misha McGlown described it as "overwhelming -- and I'm not complaining!"
"And unexpected, of course. Both Jonathan and I are fielding tons of inquiries and requests, and also just supportive messages as well. It's been a 24/7 rollercoaster adventure. And then the whole task of trying to get the prints and get them mailed and delivered safely. We're trying to build a team of people to help on all fronts administratively."
McGlown said she and Harris started their work relationship more than a year ago, and he's been instrumental in building the gallery brand.
"I'm so happy we've been able to get his career off the ground in such a big way ... I'm equally happy to have him on my team," she said.
On Martin Luther King Day, Harris was scheduled to engage in a public discussion of critical race theory with Cornelius Godfrey, supervisor of educational equity, inclusion and community relationships for the Troy School District.
Godfrey is also co-founder of Affirm Celebrate Advocate, a community organization focused on meeting the needs of students and families of color.
"You have these viral videos from school board meetings where parents are making claims that are uninformed or simply not even true about (critical race theory)," said Godfrey.
"I have an obligation as a district representative," he said, "to address the needs of our students who are experiencing or being impacted by inequity. And I think one of the greatest means is communication and having an open dialogue."
Political interference, however, has created difficulties when it comes to open discussions about critical race theory, he said. He said the attention-getting school board episodes are tied to political agendas.
"Great art is a window into who we were, are and can be," said Rochelle Riley, director of the City of Detroit's Office of Arts, Culture and Entrepreneurship, or ACE. "With a single painting, Jonathan Harris explained exactly what the fake debate over critical race theory is doing. Some people are using it to erase Black history. His picture really is worth a thousand words."
